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Residents left without water 11 times in eight months

Jasmine DuFraisse
BBC News, Manchester
BBC David Sanchez, who is wearing a blue t-shirt, looks forward posing indoors. BBC
Flat resident David Sanchez said the persistent problems had affected his mental health

Residents in an apartment block in Trafford say they feel unsafe living there, after enduring several months of ongoing issues, including no hot water and no electricity.

Westpoint on Chester Road used to be an office block but is now one of several Greater Manchester properties managed by Manchester Apartments.

It is advertised as providing 'luxury living in the heart of Trafford' but resident Khiara Atkin said: "it's gotten to the point where we shouldn't be living there".

Manchester Apartments said that maintenance issues are being dealt with, and they have taken "every measure to ensure the building has remained safe for people to stay in".

Westpoint, which was converted for residential use in 2018, has 317 flats rented out to a mix of students and professionals.

Khiara Atkin, 19, moved in in September 2024 with her partner, and said "every week there was a new issue, whether that be no hot water, or no heating. It would be freezing."

She said recently residents had to wash and flush toilets with bottles of water after they were left with a complete water outage for over a week.

They were given the option to stay with friends and family and receive some compensation or pay for a hotel that they could later claim back.

Ms Atkin said: "We couldn't afford to pay for a hotel straight out of our pockets, they're not cheap.

"It just got to the point where I had to come here and live with no water and no heating."

She continued: "I couldn't leave; I have a job here. I came to work one day and just cried because I've moved my whole life to Manchester from Leeds. I can't just drive home, I'm stuck here."

A large tower block looms up from a tree-lined street on a sunny day.
More than 300 flats have been created in the converted office
The entrance to the Westpoint apartments building. The name of the building can be seen running along black panels, close to a glass-fronted doorway.
The apartment complex was converted from an office in 2018

Another tenant, David Sanchez, said that he feels like he's stuck in a loop of "temporary solutions for constant problems".

He said: "I can't wash dishes, shower properly. I'm a student of my final year and it's impacting my studies as I'm not able to focus."

"Its effecting my mood, my mental health has been impacted-and I don't consider this is fair when you're paying almost £1000 a month."

A Manchester Apartments spokesman said when residents have had to leave the building over maintenance issues, rent payments had been deferred while claims for alternative accommodation costs are processed.

'People suffer'

Mr Sanchez said he thinks the building has had so many issues because its a converted office.

But Manchester Apartments said that the maintenance issues are down to the age of the building.

Between September and April, residents have recorded that they have had no hot water on 41 occasions, with no running water 11 times.

Ben Clay of the Greater Manchester Tenants Union, has urged tenants to speak Trafford Council about the issues.

He said some landlords do not do what is required to convert buildings into accommodation and as a result "people suffer".

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